TWI882159B - Substrate storage container - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a substrate storage container including a valve body that improves assembly workability. A substrate storage container includes a valve body that controls the flow of gas relative to a container body, and the valve body includes: an elastic valve body having a valve opening that connects a first passage connected to the outside and a second passage connected to the inside; a retaining member that retains the elastic valve body; and a fastening cap that is inserted into the elastic valve body to fix the elastic valve body to the retaining member, and the valve opening is closed by the elastic force of the elastic valve body.

Description

Substrate storage container

The present invention relates to a substrate storage container, which includes a valve body for controlling the flow of gas relative to a container body.

The substrate storage container for storing substrates includes: a container body, a cover body for sealing an opening of the container body, and a valve body for controlling the flow of gas relative to the container body. The valve body has a check valve function and has a valve body and a metal elastic member for opening and closing the valve body (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In addition, the substrate storage container supplies gas from the valve body in order to store the substrate in an airtight state, and the gas is discharged through the valve body. However, when processing the stored substrate, the residual substances attached to the substrate are sometimes discharged together with the supplied gas. Therefore, the metal elastic components of the valve body are sometimes corroded by the residual substances.

Therefore, the inventors and others proposed a valve body that uses an elastic valve body to open and close the gas passage without using a metal component (see Patent Document 3). The valve body has a valve opening and closing mechanism that uses its own elastic force to close the valve opening formed in the elastic valve body and opens it with the pressure of the gas exceeding the elastic force. [Prior Art Document] [Patent Document]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-160783 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-179449 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-021736

[The problem that the invention wants to solve]

However, the valve body described in Patent Document 3 includes a fixing cylinder, a retaining cylinder, a middle cover cylinder, and a plurality of O-rings, etc., so the number of parts increases and the assembly operation requires time.

Therefore, the present invention is made in view of the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a substrate storage container including a valve body with improved assembly workability. [Means for solving the problem]

(1) One aspect of the present invention is a substrate storage container, the substrate storage container comprising: a container body for storing a substrate; a cover body for sealing an opening of the container body; and a valve body for controlling the flow of gas relative to the container body, the valve body comprising: an elastic valve body having a valve opening that connects a first passage connected to the outside of the container body and a second passage connected to the inside of the container body; a retaining member for retaining the elastic valve body; and a fastening cap that is inserted into the elastic valve body to fix the elastic valve body to the retaining member, the valve opening being closed by the elastic force of the elastic valve body. (2) Based on the state of (1), the valve opening may be deformed when positive pressure is applied to the first passage to form a gap, thereby allowing the gas to flow relative to the container body, or the second passage may be deformed when positive pressure is applied to form a gap, thereby allowing the gas to flow relative to the container body. (3) Based on the state of (1) or (2), the valve body may have a filter for filtering the gas, and the retaining member retains the filter. [Effect of the invention]

According to the present invention, a substrate storage container including a valve body with improved assembly workability can be provided.

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments of the present invention, the same components are denoted by the same symbols throughout.

FIG1 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a substrate storage container 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It includes: a container body 10 for storing substrates W; a cover 20 for sealing an opening 11 of the container body 10; and an annular gasket 30 disposed between the container body 10 and the cover 20.

The container body 10 is a box-shaped body having an opening 11 formed on the front. The opening 11 is bent in a stepped manner so as to expand outward, and the surface of the stepped portion is formed on the inner periphery of the front of the opening 11 as a sealing surface 12 in contact with the gasket 30. In terms of facilitating the insertion operation of a substrate W of 300 mm diameter or 450 mm diameter, the container body 10 is preferably a front-opening type.

Support bodies 13 are arranged on the left and right sides of the container body 10. The support body 13 has the function of placing and positioning the substrate W. A plurality of grooves are formed along the height direction of the support body 13, forming so-called groove teeth. The substrate W is placed on the groove teeth at the left and right positions at the same height. The material of the support body 13 can be the same as that of the container body 10, or a different material can be used to improve the cleaning performance or sliding performance.

In addition, a rear retainer (not shown) is arranged at the rear (inside) of the interior of the container body 10. When the cover 20 is closed, the rear retainer and the front retainer described later form a pair to hold the substrate W. In this case, instead of including the rear retainer as in the present embodiment, the support body 13 may have a substrate retaining portion, such as a "く" shape or a straight line shape, on the inside of the groove teeth, thereby using the front retainer and the substrate retaining portion to hold the substrate W. These support bodies 13 or rear retainers can be set in the container body 10 by insert molding or interlocking.

The substrate W is supported by the support body 13 and accommodated in the container body 10. An example of the substrate W is a silicon wafer, but it is not particularly limited, and may be a quartz wafer, a gallium arsenide wafer, or the like.

A robot flange 14 is detachably provided at the center of the ceiling of the container body 10. The substrate storage container 1 in which the substrates W are airtightly stored in a clean state is held by the robot flange 14 by a transfer robot in the factory and transported to a processing device for each step of processing the substrates W.

In addition, manual handles 15 to be gripped by the operator are detachably mounted at the center of the outer surfaces of both sides of the container body 10 .

Furthermore, a gas supply section 16 and a gas exhaust section 17 are provided on the bottom surface of the interior of the container body 10, and a valve body 40 and a valve body 50 described later are installed on the bottom surface of the exterior of the container body 10. Inert gas such as nitrogen or dry air is supplied from the gas supply section 16 to the interior of the substrate storage container 1 sealed by the cover body 20, and the gas is exhausted from the gas exhaust section 17 as needed, thereby replacing the gas inside the substrate storage container 1, or maintaining a low-humidity airtight state, or blowing away impurities on the substrate W to maintain the cleanliness of the interior of the substrate storage container 1. Furthermore, not only is the gas supplied from the gas supply section 16, but the gas exhaust section 17 is also sometimes connected to a negative pressure (vacuum) generating device to forcibly exhaust the gas from the gas exhaust section 17.

Furthermore, by detecting the gas exhausted from the exhaust portion 17, it can be confirmed whether the interior of the substrate storage container 1 is replaced by the introduced gas. Furthermore, the gas supply portion 16 and the exhaust portion 17 are preferably located at a position away from the position where the substrate W is projected onto the bottom surface, but the number or position of the gas supply portion 16 and the exhaust portion 17 is not limited to the number or position shown in the figure, and may also be located at the four corners of the bottom surface of the container body 10. In addition, the gas supply portion 16 and the exhaust portion 17 may also be installed on one side of the cover 20.

On the other hand, the lid 20 is a substantially rectangular lid attached to the front of the opening 11 of the container body 10. The lid 20 has a locking mechanism (not shown) and is locked by fitting a locking piece into a locking hole (not shown) formed in the container body 10.

In addition, the cover 20 is provided with a flexible front retainer (not shown) in the center portion thereof, which holds the front periphery of the substrate W horizontally, by means of a fitting or the like, or is formed integrally by means of an insert molding or the like. The front retainer is a portion that directly contacts the wafer, similarly to the groove teeth of the support body 13 and the substrate holding portion, and therefore a material having good cleaning properties or sliding properties can be used.

Furthermore, a mounting groove 21 for mounting the gasket 30 is formed in the lid 20. For example, the mounting groove 21 having a substantially U-shaped cross section can be formed into a ring shape by forming a protrusion 22 smaller than the step portion of the opening 11 in a ring shape on the surface of the lid 20 on the container body 10 side. When the lid 20 is mounted on the container body 10, the protrusion 22 enters from the step portion of the opening 11 to the inside.

As materials for the container body 10 and the lid 20, for example, thermoplastic resins such as polycarbonate, cycloolefin polymer, polyetheretherketone, and liquid crystal polymer can be listed. The thermoplastic resin can also be appropriately added with conductive agents such as conductive carbon, conductive fiber, metal fiber, and conductive polymer, various antistatic agents, and ultraviolet absorbers.

Next, the gasket 30 is an annular gasket corresponding to the front shape of the lid 20 (and the shape of the opening 11 of the container body 10), and in this embodiment, it is a rectangular frame-shaped gasket. The annular gasket 30 may also be a circular ring (ring shape) before being mounted on the lid 20.

The gasket 30 is disposed between the sealing surface 12 of the container body 10 and the cover 20. When the cover 20 is installed on the container body 10, the gasket 30 is in close contact with the sealing surface 12 and the cover 20 to ensure the airtightness of the substrate storage container 1, reduce the intrusion of dust, moisture, etc. from the outside into the substrate storage container 1, and reduce the leakage of gas from the inside to the outside.

The gasket 30 may be formed using elastic materials including thermoplastic elastic bodies such as polyester elastic bodies, polyolefin elastic bodies, fluorine elastic bodies, urethane elastic bodies, etc., fluororubber, ethylene propylene rubber, silicone rubber, etc. Various additives may be added to these materials to add other functions.

Next, the valve body 40 for air supply is described. FIG. 2 shows the valve body 40 for air supply, FIG. 2A is an exploded three-dimensional view, FIG. 2B is a top view, FIG. 2C is a front view, FIG. 2D is a bottom view, FIG. 2E is a cross-sectional view cut along the A-A line of FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2F is a cross-sectional view cut along the B-B line of FIG. 2B. Furthermore, FIG. 2E and FIG. 2F also depict the bottom portion of the container body 10.

The valve body 40 controls the flow of gas relative to the container body 10, and when installed on the container body 10, it is connected to the gas supply part 16 through a gas flow path not shown. As shown in Figures 2E and 2F, the valve body 40 has a retaining member 41, and the retaining member 41 is embedded in the through hole 18 formed by the rib of the bottom surface of the container body 10 (or the bottom plate assembled on the bottom surface of the container body 10). Furthermore, a plurality of ventilation ribs 19 are formed on the base end side of the through hole 18 to ensure the flow of gas relative to the container body 10.

FIG. 3 shows a retaining member 41 of a valve body 40, FIG. 3A is a top view, FIG. 3B is a front view, FIG. 3C is a bottom view, and FIG. 3D is a perspective view.

The holding member 41 is formed of a cylindrical first tube portion 411 and a second tube portion 412 having a center axis eccentric from the center axis of the first tube portion 411 (see FIGS. 3A and 3C ).

The first tube 411 has an annular groove 414 formed on its outer circumference. In addition, the first tube 411 has partition ribs 413 vertically disposed on the upper surface of the container body 10 side, extending radially from the vent hole 416. The vent hole 416 is formed in the first tube 411 in such a way that the central axis coincides with the central axis of the second tube 412.

Furthermore, a receiving hole 417 (see FIGS. 3C and 3D ) communicating with the vent hole 416 is also formed in the first tube portion 411 . The receiving hole 417 has an inner diameter larger than that of the vent hole 416 .

On the other hand, a pair of support shafts 415 are protrudingly provided on the outer peripheral surface of the second cylindrical portion 412 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the eccentric direction. The lower part of the support shaft 415 is chamfered (see FIG. 3B ).

In addition, the second cylinder 412 has a fitting hole 418 formed at the center (see FIG. 3C and FIG. 3D ). The fitting hole 418 has an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the storage hole 417. The fitting hole 418 has an inner diameter equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the fitting body 451 of the elastic valve body 45 described later.

The holding member 41 is formed of a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, or liquid crystal polymer.

Here, a circular sealing ring 42 (see FIGS. 2A , 2E and 2F ) is installed in the annular groove 414 of the retaining member 41. The sealing ring 42 ensures airtightness between the retaining member 41 and the through hole 18 when the retaining member 41 is inserted into the through hole 18 of the container body 10, and also has the function of fixing the retaining member 41 by fitting with the through hole 18.

The seal ring 42 is formed of a material such as fluororubber, natural rubber, urethane rubber, or ethylene propylene rubber.

In addition, one or more filters 43 (see FIG. 2A ) are provided on the upper end of the first cylindrical portion 411 (partition rib 413) of the retaining member 41, for example, by bonding or welding. The filter 43 filters the supplied or exhausted gas and is selected from porous membranes including tetrafluoroethylene, polyester fiber, fluororesin, etc., molecular filters including glass fiber, etc., chemical filters in which filter materials such as activated carbon fiber are loaded with chemical adsorbents, etc.

Furthermore, when using multiple filters 43, they may be of the same type, but it is more preferable to combine filters of different properties because they can prevent organic contamination in addition to particles. For example, when cleaning the container body 10, in order to also play the function of inhibiting the retention of liquids such as water or cleaning liquid or inhibiting the passage of liquids, a hydrophobic or hydrophilic material may be used in one of the filters 43 to inhibit the passage of liquids.

FIG. 4 shows a handle 44 of a valve body 40, FIG. 4A is a perspective view, and FIG. 4B is a side view.

The handle 44 is formed in a U shape and includes an arc-shaped main body 441 and bearings 442 provided at both ends of the main body 441. The bearings 442 are formed with shaft holes 442a (see FIG. 2A ) into which the support shaft 415 of the holding member 41 is inserted.

In addition, the bearing 442 is formed with a protruding piece 443 on the side opposite to the side connected to the main body 441. The protruding piece 443 is used when the valve body 40 is assembled to the container body 10, and the valve body 40 is engaged with the through hole 18 according to the lever principle with the mounting portion of the container body 10 as a fulcrum by rotating the handle 44 to the storage state as shown in FIG. 2C (see Patent Document 1 for details).

The handle 44 is formed of a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, or liquid crystal polymer.

FIG. 5 shows the elastic valve body 45 of the valve body 40, FIG. 5A is a top view, FIG. 5B is a front view, FIG. 5C is a bottom view, and FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional view.

The elastic valve body 45 concentrically includes a cylindrical fitting body portion 451 and a cylindrical portion 452 extending from the recessed upper surface of the fitting body portion 451. The fitting body portion 451 has an outer diameter that is equal to or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the fitting hole 418 of the retaining member 41, and a flange portion 455 is formed at the lower end. Furthermore, the fitting body portion 451 is preferably fitted into the fitting hole 418 in a forced fit (interference fit) state.

On the other hand, the cylindrical portion 452 includes a valve portion 453 having a valve opening 454 formed on the inner circumference (see FIG. 5D ). The valve portion 453 is formed in a mouth shape with two inclined surfaces extending toward the valve opening 454 at the front end in a mountain-shaped cross-sectional shape toward the container body 10. Furthermore, the mountain-shaped ridgeline is not limited to a straight line shape as in the embodiment, but may also be an arc shape.

The valve portion 453 divides the inner space of the cylindrical portion 452 into a first passage 458 communicating with the outside of the container body 10 and a second passage 459 communicating with the outside of the container body 10 . The first passage 458 and the second passage 459 are connected via the valve opening 454 .

The valve opening 454 is formed as a slit opening in an oblong or elliptical shape. When the valve opening 454 is formed, it can be formed simultaneously with the die forming, or it can be cut by a cutter or the like after forming. The valve opening 454 also depends on the thickness of the elastic valve body 45, but the length of the short axis can be, for example, about 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

A cylindrical vent opening 456 communicating with the first passage 458 is formed on the inner side of the fitting body 451, and the fastening cap 47 described later can be inserted into the vent opening 456. In addition, a positioning protrusion 457 for positioning the valve plug 46 described later is formed on the inner side of the vent opening 456 (the connection portion with the valve portion 453).

The elastic valve body 45 can be formed using various rubbers or thermoplastic elastomer resins, etc. For example, rubber such as fluororubber and ethylene propylene rubber, or thermoplastic elastomers including polyester elastomers, polyolefin elastomers, fluorine elastomers, urethane elastomers, etc. can be used.

FIG. 6 shows the valve plug 46 of the valve body 40, FIG. 6A is a top view, FIG. 6B is a front view, FIG. 6C is a bottom view, and FIG. 6D is a side view.

The valve plug 46 includes an annular base 461, two legs 462 vertically provided on the base 461, and a sealing plate 463 bridging the two legs 462. The base 461 has two chamfered portions 465 on the upper surface where the legs 462 are vertically provided, and engages with the positioning protrusion 457 of the elastic valve body 45 (see FIG. 2E ).

The sealing plate portion 463 has a cross-sectional shape that is the same as or similar to the shape of the valve opening 454. That is, the long axis of the sealing plate portion 463 has a length that is equal to or longer than the long axis of the oblong or elliptical shape of the valve opening 454 by less than 1 mm. In other words, the sealing plate portion 463 has a circumference that is equal to or slightly longer than the circumference of the valve opening 454.

Furthermore, the circular opening on the inner side of the base 461 and the space between the two legs 462 become an opening 464 through which gas can pass.

The valve plug 46 is formed of a material that is difficult to adhere to the material forming the elastic valve body 45, such as cycloolefin polymer, polyetheretherketone, polyolefin methacrylate, polypropylene, polybutylene terephthalate, and polycarbonate.

FIG. 7 shows a fastening cap 47 of a valve body 40, FIG. 7A is a top view, FIG. 7B is a front view, FIG. 7C is a bottom view, and FIG. 7D is a three-dimensional view.

A fastening cap 47 (see FIGS. 2A, 2E and 2F) is inserted into the vent opening 456 of the elastic valve body 45. The fastening cap 47 includes a circular ring portion 471 and a plurality of (e.g., four) legs 473 extending from one side of the circular ring portion 471 toward the center in an L-shape. Furthermore, the four legs 473 are connected to each other to form a cross shape.

The annular portion 471 has a plurality of (eg, four) reinforcing ribs 474 formed on the inner circumference thereof and four locking claws 472 formed on the outer circumference thereof. The annular portion 471 has an outer diameter that is equal to or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the vent opening 456 of the elastic valve body 45.

The locking claw 472 has the following anti-detachment function: by being locked by the ventilation opening 456 of the elastic valve body 45 and expanding the fitting main body 451 outside the ventilation opening 456, the elastic valve body 45 can be closely connected with the fitting hole 418 of the retaining member 41 (refer to Figures 2E and 2F). In addition, when the fitting force between the fitting hole 418 of the retaining member 41 and the fitting main body 451 of the elastic valve body 45 is not sufficiently large, the fastening cap 47 can be omitted.

The tightening cap 47 is formed of a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate, polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, or liquid crystal polymer.

Next, the exhaust valve body 50 is described. In addition, the exhaust valve body 50 is composed of the same parts as the air supply valve body 40 except for the elastic valve body 45, so the description of each part is appropriately omitted. FIG. 8 shows the exhaust valve body 50, FIG. 8A is an exploded three-dimensional view, FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view cut at the same position as FIG. 2E, and FIG. 8C is a cross-sectional view cut at the same position as FIG. 2F.

The valve body 50 controls the flow of gas relative to the container body 10, and when installed in the container body 10, it is connected to the exhaust part 17 through a gas flow path not shown. Moreover, in the valve body 50, unlike the valve body 40, gas can be discharged from the container body 10 to the outside, but gas cannot be supplied to the inside of the container body 10, and is used for the exhaust part 17.

In the valve body 50 , the valve portion 553 of the elastic valve body 55 is formed into a groove shape on the side facing the container body 10 , and the valve plug 46 is held between the holding member 41 and the elastic valve body 55 .

Finally, the valve body 40 controls the flow of gas. Regarding the valve body 40, when no positive pressure is applied to the first passage 458 and the second passage 459 of the elastic valve body 45, the valve opening 454 is in close contact with the valve plug 46, and the flow of gas is blocked on either side. In addition, when positive pressure is applied to the second passage 459, the two inclined surfaces of the valve portion 453 are pressed toward the valve plug 46, but even if different pressures are applied to each inclined surface, the valve plug 46 is clamped in the center, so the valve opening 454 does not bend, and the flow of gas is blocked on either side.

Furthermore, when a positive pressure exceeding a predetermined value is applied to the first passage 458, for example, the elastic valve body 45 is deformed in a manner to expand the valve opening 454 according to the magnitude of the positive pressure, thereby forming a gap between the elastic valve body 45 and the valve plug 46. Furthermore, the gas supplied from the outside of the container body 10 flows through the gap to the second passage 459 and is supplied to the inside of the container body 10.

On the other hand, when a negative pressure greater than a predetermined value is applied to the second passage 459, the valve body 40 performs the same opening and closing action as when a positive pressure greater than a predetermined value is applied to the first passage 458.

On the contrary, when positive pressure is applied to the second passage 459, the valve portion 453 of the elastic valve body 45 is tapered toward the apex (apex line), and thus bends downward in the opposite direction, deforms in a manner to close the valve opening 454, and comes into close contact with the valve plug 46. Furthermore, when the valve opening 454 comes into close contact with the valve plug 46, the flow of gas from the second passage 459 side is blocked, and gas cannot flow to the first passage 458 side.

Furthermore, when a negative pressure greater than a specified value is applied to the first passage 458, the valve body 40 performs the same operation as when a positive pressure greater than a specified value is applied to the second passage 459.

The specified value of the pressure that enables the flow of gas can be adjusted by changing the material, hardness, shape/size, thickness, valve opening 454 and width or length of (the sealing plate portion 463 of) the elastic valve body 45 .

Furthermore, regarding the valve body 50 controlling the flow of gas, since it is basically in the opposite direction to the valve body 40, the description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, the substrate storage container 1 of the embodiment of the present invention is the following substrate storage container 1, the substrate storage container 1 includes: a container body 10 for storing substrates W; a cover 20 for sealing the opening 11 of the container body 10; and valve bodies 40 and 50 for controlling the flow of gas relative to the container body 10, the valve bodies 40 and 50 include: elastic valves 45 and 55, which have the function of making the container body 10 A valve opening 454 connected to a first passage 458 connected to the outside and a second passage 459 connected to the inside of the container body 10; a retaining component 41 that retains the elastic valve body 45, the elastic valve body 55; and a fastening cap 47 that is inserted into the elastic valve body 45, the elastic valve body 55 to fix the elastic valve body 45, the elastic valve body 55 to the retaining component 41, and the valve opening 454 is closed by the elastic force of the elastic valve body 45, the elastic valve body 55.

Thus, by assembling the fastening cap 47 to the elastic valve body 45, the elastic valve body 55, the elastic valve body 45, the elastic valve body 55 can be fixed to the retaining member 41, and the number of parts can be reduced compared to the existing product. In addition, since the fitting force between the retaining member 41 and the elastic valve body 45 can be increased, it is also possible to prevent gas leakage from the gaps.

In addition, the substrate storage container 1 includes the valve body 40 and the valve body 50 that do not use metal components. Therefore, even if there are metal-corrosive residual substances on the stored substrate W, metal corrosion problems will not occur, and the valve body 40 and the valve body 50 are unlikely to fail to operate.

Furthermore, by simply replacing the elastic valve 45, the elastic valve 55 and the position of the valve plug 46, the gas can flow in the supply direction or the exhaust direction, regardless of the position or number of the supply section 16 or the exhaust section 17, and can correspond to the supply and exhaust paths of all gases.

The valve plug 46 of the embodiment is clamped between the elastic valve body 55 and the retaining member 41. Thus, by inserting the fastening cap 47 into the elastic valve body 55 and fitting it to the retaining member 41, the valve plug 46 and the elastic valve body 55 can be fixed.

The valve plug 46 of the embodiment is clamped between the elastic valve body 45 and the fixing cap 47. Thus, by fitting the fixing cap 47 to the elastic valve body 45, the valve plug 46 and the elastic valve body 45 can be fixed.

Furthermore, insofar as the opening portion 464 of the valve plug 46 and the vent opening 475 of the fastening cap 47 are also connected to the first passage 458, it can be said that they are equivalent to the "first passage" recorded in the scope of the patent application, and insofar as the vent hole 416 is also connected to the second passage 459, it can be said that it is equivalent to the "second passage" recorded in the scope of the patent application.

The valve opening 454 of the embodiment deforms to form a gap when positive pressure is applied to the first passage 458, thereby allowing gas to flow relative to the container body 10, or deforms to form a gap when positive pressure is applied to the second passage 459, thereby allowing the gas to flow relative to the container body 10. Thus, for example, when gas is introduced from one side of the valve body 40 or the valve body 50 to form a positive pressure and a predetermined pressure value, the valve opening 454 of the elastic valve body 45 or the elastic valve body 55 expands, and the introduced gas is supplied to the other side of the valve body 40 or the valve body 50.

The valve body 40 and the valve body 50 of the embodiment have a filter 43 for filtering gas, and the filter 43 is held by the holding member 41. Thereby, the gas passing through the valve body 40 and the valve body 50 can be filtered. In addition, by clamping the filter 43 between the holding member 41 (the partition rib 413) and the container body 10 (the ventilation rib 19), the filter 43 can be prevented from falling off.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the scope of the patent application.

(Variation) In the embodiment, the first cylinder 411 and the second cylinder 412 of the retaining member 41 are eccentric in a manner suitable for the positioning relationship between the existing substrate storage container 1 and the loading port including the air supply/exhaust nozzle, and can also be concentric as shown in the previous valve body described in the patent document 3. In addition, in the structure of the previous valve body, the valve plug 46 of the embodiment can be inserted into the slit of the elastic body (equivalent to the valve opening 454 of the elastic valve body 45).

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the valve portion 453 of the elastic valve body 45 may also be in the shape of a cross with two orthogonal valve openings 454. In this case, the sealing plate portion 463 of the valve plug 46 may be formed in the shape of a cross in cross section.

Alternatively, in the embodiment, the valve body 40, the valve body 50 may not have the valve plug 46. In this case, the valve opening 454 of the elastic valve body 45, the elastic valve body 55 is formed to be closed at normal times due to its own elastic force, and when a positive pressure is applied to the first passage 458 and exceeds the elastic force of the valve opening 454, the valve opening 454 is deformed to form a gap, thereby allowing gas to flow relative to the container body 10, or when a positive pressure is applied to the second passage 459, the valve opening 454 is deformed to form a gap, thereby allowing gas to flow relative to the container body 10.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the filter 43 may be disposed separately from the valve body 40 and the valve body 50 in the gas flow path from the gas supply source to the gas discharge port inside the container body 10 .

In the above-mentioned embodiments, the valve body 40 and the valve body 50 are configured to be installed in a through hole 18 formed in at least one of the container body 10 and the cover body 20, but like the valve body described in the above-mentioned patent document 3, they can be configured to be installed in a gas flow path (piping) provided in the container body 10, etc., for example, in the middle of a gas flow path connected to at least one of the air supply part 16 or the exhaust part 17.

1: Substrate storage container 10: Container body 11: Opening 12: Sealing surface 13: Support body 14: Robot flange 15: Manual handle 16: Air supply section 17: Exhaust section 18: Through hole 19: Ventilation rib 20: Cover body 21: Mounting groove 22: Protrusion 30: Gasket 40, 50: Valve body 41: Retaining member 411: First cylinder 412: Second cylinder 413: Partition rib 414: Ring groove 415: Support shaft 416: Ventilation hole 417: Storage hole 418: Fitting hole 42: Sealing ring 43: Filter 44: Handle 441: Main body 442: Bearing 442a: Shaft hole 443: Projection piece 45, 55: Elastic valve body 451: Fitting main body 452: Cylindrical part 453, 553: Valve part 454: Valve opening 455: Flange part 456: Ventilation opening 457: Positioning protrusion 458: First passage 459: Second passage 46: Valve plug 461: Base 462: Foot 463: Sealing plate 464: Opening part 465: Chamfered part 47: Fastening cap 471: Ring part 472: Locking claw 473: Foot 474: Reinforcement rib 475: Ventilation opening W: Base plate

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a substrate storage container showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view showing a valve body for air supply. FIG. 2B is a top view showing the valve body for air supply. FIG. 2C is a front view showing the valve body for air supply. FIG. 2D is a bottom view showing the valve body for air supply. FIG. 2E is a cross-sectional view of the valve body for air supply cut along the A-A line in FIG. 2B. FIG. 2F is a cross-sectional view of the valve body for air supply cut along the B-B line in FIG. 2B. FIG. 3A is a top view showing a retaining member of the valve body. FIG. 3B is a front view showing a retaining member of the valve body. FIG. 3C is a bottom view showing a retaining member of the valve body. FIG. 3D is a perspective view showing a retaining member of a valve body. FIG. 4A is a perspective view showing a handle of a valve body. FIG. 4B is a side view showing a handle of a valve body. FIG. 5A is a top view showing an elastic valve body of a valve body. FIG. 5B is a front view showing an elastic valve body of a valve body. FIG. 5C is a bottom view showing an elastic valve body of a valve body. FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional view showing an elastic valve body of a valve body. FIG. 6A is a top view showing a valve plug of a valve body. FIG. 6B is a front view showing a valve plug of a valve body. FIG. 6C is a bottom view showing a valve plug of a valve body. FIG. 6D is a side view of a valve plug of a valve body. FIG. 7A is a top view of a cap of a valve body. FIG. 7B is a front view of a cap of a valve body. FIG. 7C is a bottom view of a cap of a valve body. FIG. 7D is a perspective view of a cap of a valve body. FIG. 8A is an exploded perspective view of a valve body for exhaust. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of a valve body for exhaust cut at the same position as FIG. 2E. FIG. 8C is a cross-sectional view of a valve body for exhaust cut at the same position as FIG. 2F.

1: Substrate storage container

10: Container body

11: Open mouth

12: Sealing surface

13: Support body

14: Robot flange

15: Manual handle

16: Air supply department

17: Exhaust section

20: Cover

21: Mounting slot

22:convex part

30: Gasket

40, 50: Valve body

W: substrate

Claims (3)

A substrate storage container includes: a container body for storing a substrate; a cover body for sealing an opening of the container body; and a valve body for controlling the flow of gas relative to the container body. The substrate storage container is characterized in that the valve body includes: an elastic valve body having a valve opening that connects a first passage connected to the outside of the container body and a second passage connected to the inside of the container body; a retaining member for retaining the elastic valve body; a fastening cap that is inserted into the elastic valve body to fix the elastic valve body to the retaining member; and a filter for filtering the aforementioned gas. The valve opening is closed by the elastic force of the elastic valve body, and the filter is clamped between the container body and the retaining member. The substrate storage container as described in claim 1, wherein the valve opening is deformed when positive pressure is applied to the first passage to form a gap, thereby allowing the gas to flow relative to the container body, or the valve opening is deformed when positive pressure is applied to the second passage to form a gap, thereby allowing the gas to flow relative to the container body. A substrate storage container as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the elastic valve body includes a mouth-shaped valve portion on the inner peripheral surface, and the valve portion has the valve opening.

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